A seven-year-old girl is finally able to eat ice cream and brush her own hair - after becoming the youngest in the UK to be fitted with a bionic 'hero' arm.<br /><br />Caitlin Hutson was born with only one fully formed hand due to rare congenital condition.<br /><br />Her underdeveloped left arm has five shortened fingers at the end but no bones, making basic tasks incredibly difficult for the youngster.<br /><br />Her mum, Maria Hutson, 42, says up until this year, Caitlin has struggled by with a smile on her face - but a recent community fundraising effort has changed her life.<br /><br />The family raised more than £18,000 for a bionic arm that was fitted last week (21/08), and Maria says her daughter is already bursting with confidence.<br /><br />She is already relishing her new found capabilities including brushing her own hair, enjoying ice cream - and high-fiving her pals.<br /><br />Maria, from Wymondham, Norfolk, said: "In the space of 24 hours her confidence has increased so much.<br /><br />"Caitlin is strutting around the garden and dancing with it on - as a parent it's lovely to see. We're so grateful for everyone who made this dream a reality."<br /><br />In 2016, Caitlin was born with an exceptionally rare condition called symbrachydactyly which affects just one in 32,000 births.<br /><br />As a result, the bones in her left arm never formed properly, leaving her with five shortened fingers, a shortened forearm and no hand.<br /><br />Throughout her early childhood, tasks like using cutlery, holding her dinner tray at school, and brushing her hair have been a struggle.<br /><br />But after researching her condition last year, Maria and Caitlin's father Terry Hutson, 45, found a high-tech, but very expensive, solution. <br /><br />They joined a waiting list for a bionic arm for Caitlin, and in December last year were invited up to Open Bionics in Bristol for a consultant's appointment.<br /><br />Maria, a swimming teacher and mum-of-two, said: "Last year, we put her name down and to our surprise things moved pretty quickly.<br /><br />"We went to Bristol in December, and Open Bionics originally said she needed to grow a bit more before being eligible. <br /><br />"We also needed to raise the money for the arm itself which cost £13.5k.<br /><br />"So we went away and started a GoFundMe, gathering donations from the local community and putting on fundraisers.<br /><br />"This year, we've held numerous cake sales and a superhero day at Caitlin's school, and businesses and individuals have shown their support.<br /><br />"We've been totally overwhelmed by people's generosity and kindness."<br /><br />In total Caitlin's family raised £18.5k which was enough for the arm to be fitted with an extended warranty.<br /><br />This means it can be replaced as she continues to grow, and the arm is covered for the next five years.<br /><br />Since the fitting last week, Maria says Caitlin has quickly got used to the feeling of the technology and is loving life with her new 'hero arm'.<br /><br />She said: "Small things which people like you and I never even think about are a massive deal to her.<br /><br />"For the first time she can use cutlery without struggling and br
